Cross - High cross

The National Monuments Service's description

The west cross is also known as the broken cross. The base (dims at base 1.5m x 1.3m; H 0.83m) supports a shaft (dims 0.77m x 0.46m; H 2.61m) that has on the E face the baptism of Christ, the marriage feast of Cana, the raising of Lazarus, Christ and the adulteress , the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the three Wise men and Herod (?). The W face has Adam and Eve, Noah’s ark, Moses in Egypt, and Moses with the pillar of fire. The N and S sides have interlace panels. Macalister (1934, 17, 18) read the inscription: Ór do Artgal do rigne I chroisse Muiredaig – ‘Pray for Artgal who made the cross of Muiredach’ running on the E and W faces of the base, but its authenticity is uncertain. (Harbision 1992, vol. 1, 100-03)

See the attached image of the E face (001) and images of the arrest of Christ (002) from the E face and Adam and Eve (041) from the W face.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 2 July, 2014

References

Harbison, P. 1992 The high crosses of Ireland: an iconographical and photographic survey, 3 vols. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy. Bonn. Dr. Rudolf Habelt GMBH.

Macalister, R. A. S. 1934 The ancient inscriptions of Kells, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 64, 16-21.